


A Protector of Sorts

by AyokaiW



Series: Chronicles of a Human and her Demon [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Character Death, Demon!Lapis, F/F, Gangs, Human A/U, Human!Peridot, Lapis is a bit OOC, Nondescript Violence, Teeny bit of fluff, forgive her she's a demon, servitude, shadow demon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-15 03:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16925280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyokaiW/pseuds/AyokaiW
Summary: Peridot might be a tiny, vulnerable nerd, making her easy pickings for unsavory characters, but she has a protector of sorts watching out for her.It was like a guardian angel, except it was a demon...and it eats people.





	A Protector of Sorts

Peridot adjusted her glasses on her face before bringing the collar of her jacket up to cover her neck. The harsh, December winds chilled her to the bones, leaving her to shiver even under her three layers of clothes. It was too cold to be outside, but there wasn't much that could be done for that. The snow was coming down so heavy plow trucks gave up the effort of keeping the streets cleared, so there was no public transportation.

No cars.

No people.

Just Peridot.

 _“Get late classes_ ” _she said “you can find more time to study” she said. Can't find that time during a blizzard now can I, Emerald?!_

She trudged through the snow with her overfilled backpack on one shoulder and textbook tucked under her arm. The sun was setting faster, urging Peridot onwards to reach the warm confides of her home where, no doubt, her family was relaxing. Her mother would be by the fireplace, stoking the fires until they were blazing nice and hot. Her father would be in his study, cursing at the TV because some idiot fumbled with the ball. And her older sister, Emerald, would be practicing her dancing in the basement away from the noise upstairs.

And somewhere, sitting lonely on the counter, was a cup of hot chocolate waiting for her

Just the thought made Peridot walk just a little faster.

_There has to be a quicker way back home._

Spying an alleyway just ahead, Peridot jogged into it, hopping to cut through and be a block from her home.

Unfortunately, it was a dead end.

“Dammit.” Peridot cursed and kicked the wall. Now she had to go all the way around like a normal person.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Came a voice behind her.

Peridot turned and saw a woman standing at the mouth of the alleyway, hands in the pockets of her oversized coat.

“Um...hello.” Peridot squeaked out. She was ever courteous to strangers, but this one was looking at her menacingly and that frightened her just a little bit.

“You lost, kid?”

Peridot huffed, “I am not a child.”

She just turned nineteen and was on her third year of university. She was just short, just an inch over five feet. Every single day she cursed her parents for giving Emerald all the good genes. All she got was the spikey hair of her father and her mother's freckles. Someone in the family had the short gene, but no one told her (probably afraid she was going to hunt them down and thank them properly for skipping that trait over Emerald…).

“You look pretty runty for an adult then.” The woman chuckled. She was walking towards her now with long strides.

Great, not even five minutes passed and Peridot was insulted twice.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, too.” Peridot said, adjusting her backpack strap, “Now if you'll excuse me-”

She tried to walk past the woman when her coat was suddenly grabbed and she was thrown up against the wall. A shock of pain went through her and she gasped, feeling the air rush out of her on impact.

“Nah, I think you and me need to have a little chat.” The woman sneered.

Her hair was dyed a rich blue, fashioned into buns on either side of her head. She looked to be in her late thirties, maybe early forties, but Peridot thought it was rude to try and guess someone's age. Especially for someone who could lift her off her feet.

“You see, you're in Diamond territory. Only way you're making it past me is with a...generous donation.” she said.

 _...territory..._ Peridot didn't believe that. The Diamond Gang never ventured past downtown Beach City. That was where the heavy drug traffic was, “Why are you guys here-AUGH!”

The woman tightened her grip on Peridot's collar, cutting her off, “Shut up! You only need to know that the Diamond's are expanding and we own this block. So pay up, kid, or else.”

Panic came boiling to the surface as the woman flashed a knife in her other hand, “Wait...s-stop, you shouldn't-”

Unbeknownst to Peridot's assailant, the shadow cast on the wall beside Peridot began to slowly lose its shape. But Peridot saw it and tugged frantically at the woman's arm.

“Please!” Peridot shouted, “Please, just let me go, or else...or else!” she couldn't even say it.

“Or what?” She sneered.

Peridot felt sick and she swallowed the bile raising up, “Or you'll die.”

She laughed at that and threw Peridot so harshly she stumbled back and fell against the trash cans. She cried out when her hands scraped against glass that was half buried under the snow.

When Peridot was thrown her shadow did not follow. It remained still as stone against the wall.

“Die? That's real funny. Just say you don't have the money so I can cut off a finger.” The woman chuckled, stalking towards Peridot, who scrambled back, “Or maybe I should take your tongue for that smartass comment...what the…?”

Something glinted off her knife, something that caught her eye and made her stop. There were a peculiar set of eyes reflecting off the knife's surface and that's when the woman realised something was amiss.

Peridot's shadow seemed to be getting larger, moving and writhing erratically along the walls.

A soft clicking sound made Peridot look down at her hands. Black chains slowly materialized around her wrists; she could feel the cold steel around her throat as well, constricting, nearly cutting off her air supply with one motion.

She didn't utter a single sound even as her body was screaming for her to run, to try and save the woman in front of her. But she knew she wouldn't be able to even if she wanted to.

“I tried to warned you.” Peridot whispered, fear creeping into her voice.

A hideous wrenching sound came from somewhere behind Peridot as the shadows themselves detached from the wall. Two hands reached out. Claws as long as knives and razor sharp scrambled against the bricks, leaving deep gouges in their wake. Then a head took shape from the shadows, an elongated snout and maw jutted forward. There came an echoing snarl from clenched fangs as white as the snow falling gently onto its dark blue fur.

“W-wh-what is…” the woman was too terrified to move, “What the fuck?”

The creature detached entirely from the wall, never making a sound as it moved towards Peridot. It stood just a foot taller than her, but had no physical body. It was like a living shadow that took on a beastial shape. The only detailed part of the creature was its head and that greatly resembled a canine. Its body moved to curl protectively around Peridot, bright blue eyes pinning the woman where she stood as a dark, blue tongue snaked out and licked at the cut on Peridot's hand.

It's cold gaze went from the woman's terrified face to the knife in her hand. Another snarl rumbled from deep within the creature.

Slowly, like a glacier, it stretched its head out towards the woman. Arms reached out to extend shadowy hands with dagger like claws. They were so large that when it cupped around the woman's face, it could have squashed her entire head. But it merely held her for one, long moment to stare into petrified eyes that wept tears.

A prayer bubbled from pale lips; a puddle of yellow stained the snow around her feet.

It leaned forward jaws opening wide.

In the end, there was no scream, just the sounds of bones crunching and the wet squish of organs bursting.

Peridot felt blood splatter across her face, and the front of her jacket.

“ _Lapis_.” She whined.

The monster tilted its head back to swallow the remains of its prey before returning to Peridot's side. It licked the blood clean from her face then nuzzled under Peridot's chin to express an apology. The soft fur tickled, but Peridot still pouted indignantly. She hated it when Lapis caused a big mess; it was getting harder to explain her blood spattered clothing to her dad.

Despite any misgivings Peridot felt about Lapis killing...Lapis did save her. 

Always the watchful eyes keeping her out of danger, and Peridot sort of liked having a protector of sorts. It almost made up for all the bullying she suffered throughout her childhood.

She raised her hand to pat the creature, but stopped at the sound of the chains clinking together. She followed the links to where they ended at the creature's shadowy form. They were a constant reminder of just how bound to it she was as it was to her.

Lapis nuzzled against her more.

Peridot could feel sharp fangs dig into the soft flesh of her throat just below the chains.

That, too, was a reminder.

A memory came to her then. It was when her mother fastened the chains onto her on her eighteenth birthday, when she first learned of her family's sacred duty.

“ _For thousands of years my family has kept this demon bound to us to protect ourselves. Only someone with a true, strong heart can keep it from destroying us all. It will safeguard your life only to preserve its own, but do not have any misgivings about this, Peridot. Once these chains shatter your life is forfeit. A demon does not forgive. A demon never forgets.”_

She wondered how much of what her mother said was true now. While Peridot was warned Lapis was temperamental and was told it was a constant struggle when her mom had Lapis bound to her, it didn't feel like that at all with Peridot. 

Sure, Lapis would give sharp tugs on the chains now and again and Peridot prayed they would not break, but those incidents were far and few between. She wondered if Lapis was content or merely biding her time. 

Sighing, Peridot scratched just by Lapis' ear, “Let's go home.”

It gave her one final, affectionate lick on her cheek before it receded back along the wall, bending to match Peridot's shadow once more.

The small girl went over to the pool of blood staining the otherwise white snow and knelt to pick up her book. She dusted it off, tucked it back under her arm, pulled her hood over her head and continued her way home.

**Author's Note:**

> So. 
> 
> I discovered what Lapidot was a while back without watching the show. Then I binge watched the show from 1 to Legs from Homeworld and now I ship them harder.
> 
> So...yeah definitely writing Lapidot fics now. 
> 
> I also struggled on whether or not this deserved an M rating, so I left it in T. Hopefully that's okay because it's not really violent or explicit.


End file.
